


Whitebeard Pirates Week 2015

by Akemichan



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen, M/M, Mostly Gen, check the notes, some Marco/Ace
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2015-10-08
Packaged: 2018-04-24 19:37:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4932667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akemichan/pseuds/Akemichan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Small works of fiction I made for this wonderful week. Mostly gen, a couple of Marco/Ace. Read the notes for futher information, every day is different!<br/>All reviewed by wonderful Lillikira!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1

**Author's Note:**

> Marco’s first birthday since Ace had joined the crew. And Ace wanted to find the best present.

The dining hall was empty. From the kitchen came the sound of the cooks at work and the smells of their amazing dishes. Despite this and his growling stomach, Ace didn't try to steal anything. He sat alone in the room, arms leaning on the table, and his head resting between them.

"What's up, gringo?"

"What?" Ace asked, lifting his head to watch as Thatch sitting down across from him while placing a tray full of food on the table between them.

"I was trying to sound like a bartender that listens to his client's secrets... oh, whatever." He interrupted his explanation, since Ace was literally drooling just looking at the food. "Eat. It's for you."

"Thank you!" Ace exclaimed, his mouth already full. "So good! What is it?"

"Felafel, a traditional food from Alabasta." Thatch chuckled, proud at the same time of his friend’s appetite. "I'm trying some new recipes for Marco's dinner party."

"Oh, right... Marco's birthday" Ace muttered, licking his fingers.

Oh, this is the problem, then, Thatch thought. "Have you found a present yet?"

"No" Ace answered with a groan. "And I don’t have any more time."

He had tried to find one for days, but he didn't manage to. With Luffy, it was a lot easier. He basically enjoyed everything with meat in it. Marco wasn't as easy to read, especially because he was so much older than him. Add the fact that they were in a sort of relationship, made everything even worse.

To try and find some ideas, he had asked the other crewmates, but that had only ended up depressing him even more. They all had such wonderful ideas, and they knew Marco so much better than him. Ace loved that the Whitebeard pirates were such an amazing family, but he would have appreciated the others' efforts to give Marco the best present ever more, if he hadn't had to do the same.

"And you?" Thatch was one of the few he hadn't asked yet.

"My present is the dinner itself. I make special dishes and a new cake every year." Thatch didn't say anything, but he found amusing how Ace seemed affected by Marco's birthday. "That's why I'm the best."

"Oh, great." Ace sighed, frustrated. "Thank you for confirming it is actually a contest and that I'm losing it."

There is no possible way for him to find in a few short hours a better present than the others. Jozu bought a new belt, because he had noticed that Marco's was scratched, something Ace wasn't aware of. He didn't feel any better when Jozu reminded him that Ace definitely was more interested in taking it off Marco, than studying it. Being undoubtedly true, he should still have noticed if his maybe-boyfriend walked around with ruined clothes.

Izou and Fossa both had hand-made presents. Izou had done an amazing painting of Marco in phoenix form, and Ace had stared in awe the beautiful blue colors that seemed almost as alive as Marco's feathers. Fossa had carved some phoenix figures in the corner of a new wooden writing desk, to replace the old one in Marco's room.

The other commanders managed to find some rare presents, like the pearl shell from Namur. While most of the others were navigation books, something Marco had interest in. But even with the Striker, Ace wouldn't have made it in time for the birthday party to go buy something at the nearest island.

Thatch smiled. "Well, I have an idea for you. A gift that others can't match."

"Really?" Ace looked at him suspicious.

"Hey, I'm trying to help, here." Thatch pouted.

Ace considered, was he so desperate to take Thatch’s idea? Unfortunately, the answer was yes. He was definitely that desperate.

 

***

 

The scent of meat and spices filled the air of the dining hall as the fourth division of the Whitebeard Pirates began serving dinner. None of the waiting crew dared to step forward and begin sampling, but everyone was staring in awe and anticipation.

"You can eat, you know?" Thatch said, his pride as cook shining more than usual as he approached the group of waiting Commanders.

"Aren't we waiting for Marco?" Curiel asked. "It is his birthday after all."

"Yeah, but I don't think he will be here very soon. He's busy with Ace and his gift."

"What cute love birds" Haruta exclaimed, in a romantic way.

"I'm disappointed," Izou said. "I really wanted to see Ace's present."

"No, you don't, believe me!" Everyone looked at Thatch, with a quizzical expression in their face. "Let's just say that Marco got something else to eat." he added, with a very amused smile.

Whitebeard laughed loudly, causing the entire ship to tremble. "Let's party, my children. I don't see why only Marco and Ace should be having fun!"

 

***

 

Marco had smiled when Thatch had told him that Ace was waiting in his private cabin to give his gift before anyone else. He had noticed Ace's effort in the past weeks before his birthday and he found it cute. Well, almost everything about Ace was cute, but he wasn't going to tell Ace that. He has his pride as one of the most dangerous pirates out there to consider after all.

Marco didn't really mind presents. Of course, he enjoyed seeing his brothers caring so much about him and trying to find the best gift. Often they were amazing, but Marco appreciated their efforts more than everything else. Ace shouldn't have worried so much about it.

But, surely, Marco didn't expect what he had prepared for him as he entered his cabin. Ace was lying down on his back in Marco’s bed. His hands were tied up behind his head, and secured to the headboard. Ace also was blindfolded. Marco knew instantly he couldn't be Ace's idea, but it didn't stop him from closing and locking the door behind him and swallowing hard.

"Marco? Is that you?" Ace lifted his head a little in his direction.

"Yes..."

"Oh, finally. I was sooo bored!" Ace exclaimed, relieved. "Ehm... Happy Birthday?"

Marco chuckled. "You don't look sure."

Ace sighed. "I didn't get anything better. Sorry." He felt like a moron, now. Thatch's idea wasn't so good to begin with, but now, with Marco in the same room, it definitely appeared to be complete bullshit. He could get free in any minutes, sure, but he already embarrassed himself so it was a minute too late.

"You didn't notice, did you?" Marco sat down next to him and then kissed him, biting Ace’s bottom lip."You... are so incredibly... sexy right now," Marco said brokenly between kisses.

"I thought I was always sexy," Ace protested. He was actually relieved that Marco didn't mock him for the situation.

Before doing anything else, Marco checked Ace's restraints. He was tied with normal rope, so his fire logia power could get him free at any time. He touched Ace’s hands: the blood was flowing normally, despite the uncomfortable position. "More than usual" he commented at the end. It was pretty unusually seeing Ace bound, since he was the living image of freedom, but exciting nevertheless. Not many men could live to grasp freedom.

"So do you like my gift?" Ace asked.

"Not so fast." Marco's hand slide down from Ace’s neck, to his chest, ending up near the waist of his pants. Ace's body shivered under his touch. "I still have to unwrap it."

Ace arched his back, bringing attention to his groin. "We're going..." He breathed heavily. "...to miss your party." He wanted to miss it. He wanted it badly. But he didn't want to show how much aroused he was already.

"I don't mind." Marco unbuckled Ace’s belt and opened his pants, revealing the black tuft of his pubic hair. "Do you?"

"I don't," Ace moaned, feeling Marco's finger wrapping around his dick. He finally saw the point of Thatch's idea. Despite his urge to get free, to touch Marco as he was being touched and kissing him, his body appreciated the feeling of being in Marco's hands. Hands that would give him pleasure. Not knowing what Marco would do next because of the blindfold wasn't as scary as he had thought it would be.

"But the others will be disappointed. This means I won, right?" Ace added, with a proud smile.

"It wasn't a game." Marco chuckled.

Ace struggled a little under his restraint. "Still winning."

"Okay, you win" Marco admitted. Marco's pants were feeling too tight to discuss it any further. He only wanted to enjoy the moment. It was his birthday present, after all. "But you cheated." He was sure the others wouldn't mind, on the contrary, they would probably mock them because of it, but yes, Ace should have known better. He had definitely an unfair advantage.

Ace smiled and shrugged. "Sorry, I'm a pirate."

Indeed he was, , Marco thought. But Ace shouldn't forget that Marco was a pirate too. And Marco was about to show him how pirates dealt with presents. Especially _that_ kind of present.


	2. Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teach wanted a last goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: non-con and rape!

Ace couldn't be his.

He spent so much time as Ace’s crewmate, he simply knew what Ace believed and that his morals were. Asking Ace to join his crew was a poor try, a hope already hopeless. No way Ace would had left Whitebeard's crew to join one where the captain was a crewmates' killer. Ace wasn't, and never would have been, like him.

What a shame.

Teach was both annoyed and regretful, for that. He had no problem sacrificing Ace's life. Therefore he had already delivered him to the Marines in exchange for becoming a Warlord, but he still considered it a shame. Ace had so much potential and strength, but he was ready to lose it all because of his principles. It was pretty stupid.

But he could tell just watching Ace that he would have kept those principles even at the death's door. Despite being beaten up, chained, and covered in blood, his eyes were still keeping that blazing fire he was known for. He would die without regrets; the fear of death and the despair of his loss couldn't change who he was.

It really was a shame.

Teach used his new power to dismiss the guards, and then he went into the cell. Ace raised his head to look at him. The Marines were so afraid that he would try to kill himself they gagged him. Ace couldn't speak, but then he didn't need to. His eyes spoke for him, the hateful look Ace reserved for Teach, almost trying to kill him with piercing black eyes. That wasn't the look - and the smile - he had used back then, when they had still been crewmates.

Teach didn't want that look as his last memory of Ace. He wouldn't be there for his execution, so it was their last chance to say goodbye. But nothing would change that hateful look. Ace would have despise him forever.

That was why Teach just decided to take what he wanted without worrying about it, as a true pirate. Ace would have hate him anyway. At least, that would be a really nice memory—a nice goodbye.

Ace looked at him with wide eyes as Teach untied his belt and dropped his pant to expose his cock. Unwilling, Ace struggled against his restraints, the chains jingling like a deadly melody. He gritted his teeth in the gag, drooling.

Teach stroked himself to hardness, then stepped forward. Ace was seated down, cross-legged, ankles tied up together. His arms were bound behind his back and other seastone chains secured his torso to the wall. It was a pretty convenient position, because Ace's face was at the same height of Teach's cock, even if he stood still. Teach caressed his cheek, pulling down the gag, leaving drops of saliva around Ace's mouth. Ace looked at him in disgust, his lips tightened as Teach pushed his cock against them.

"I'm not interesting in Straw Hat anymore now," Teach said slowly, "Don't make me change my mind."

"Leave my brother alone!" Ace snarled, and Teach took his chance to shove his cock into Ace’s mouth down to his throat.

"I will, if you behave." He didn't use blackmail to make Ace join his crew. Teach only needed people who actually respected him, and willingly wanted him as King of the Pirates. But for a blowjob he had no such limitations—that, and to avoid any biting. After all, this was Ace's only way to save his brother. He lost any other options.

Ace's hatred sparkled in his eyes and, for a moment, Teach believed that he would bite him for real. He would make Ace sorry for that--but then Ace swallowed. Teach started to move, sliding himself in and out just as he could feel Ace’s tongue rubbing slowly on his cock. Still slowly, Ace began to suck it, his soft but cracked lips on Teach’s skin, leaving small traces of blood.

Teach wondered if Ace was virgin. Maybe not, or he had just never been with a man, or never made a to give a blowjob. Despite what could only be inexperience, Ace still was doing his best to please him, and Teach could at least appreciate his efforts. And he enjoyed to getting something from him, at least. Not the first thing he had asked for, but it was enough for a goodbye. He thrust forward, picking up the pace, and fucking Ace’s mouth Teach bellowed satisfied as he came, his softening cock still stuffed in Ace's throat.

Teach leaned back, pulling himself from his former crewmates mouth, only because Ace seemed on the verge of throwing up. As soon as his mouth was free, Ace breathed heavily and then coughed, saliva and cum dripped from his lips. He kept his gaze down, still panting, his hair covering his eyes.

Teach left him alone for several minutes, as he put tucked himself back into his pants. Then he leaned forward and grasped Ace’s chin with his hand. Ace tried to pull free, but Teach kept him still, forcing him to lift his face and meet his gaze. He rubbed his thumb across Ace’s soft lips, cleaning them of blood, saliva, and other fluids. He already missed their movement on his cock.

It was such a shame that Teach couldn't resist asking again.

"Join my crew."

Ace didn't even bother to answer. He looked at Teach with his eyes full of hatred, and then spat at him, a little glob of saliva and cum that splashed against Teach's base torso.

"What a shame." Teach said with a sigh. He released Ace’s chin and turned walking out of the cell without another glance back. Well, at least he got his last memory, and it was a good one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this headcanon Teach has actually a twisted feeling for Ace. I definitely didn't call it in any way romantic, more like an obsession, but it makes believable to me that Teach could actually rape him (because not all villains are also rapist). Probably it's just me and this is not grounded in canon, but I still enjoy this kind of stories and I wanted to try one :)


	3. Day 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the war of Marineford, Izou went back home to grieve.

The decline of the theatre had not been only caused by the flow of time. Once it was the most important and beautiful building of the village, but now, it was a hovel. The walls had as many cracks as the face of an old man, the roof barely standing. The garden was full of weeds and underbrush; while the lake, once full of water lily, was now a pool of putrid and stinky water.

A perfect place for his mood, Izou mused.

He passed through the short path to the door of the theatre, the underbrush tickling his legs. He knocked. At first Izou thought that nobody would answer, but, soon after, the door opened and a girl appeared.

"May I help you?"

A Maiko, Izou identified her because of her hairstyle. Years ago women were forbidden from the theatre. Now they couldn't be so picky, apparently. At a closer look, she seemed as run down as the theatre; her kimono was worn, made with cotton in place of silk. The make-up was dripping from her face and the flowers in her hair were fake.

"My name is Izou. I once lived here" he answered at last, with a whisper. "Is Sensei at home?"

She looked at him carefully, then nodded. "I've heard about you. Please, come in." She stepped aside from the door to let him enter. "You may wait here." After closing the door, the Maiko disappeared in the hallway. Izou sighed. He knew she could have only heard bad things about him. His memories still echoed the spiteful words Sensei had said to him the day Izou had decide to leave everything behind.

After all, to the Wano people, he was a traitor.

The Maiko came back few minutes later. "Sensei will see you now," she announced. She looked sad. "I have to warn you before, Izou-san. He's not the man he used to be."

The first positive news Izou had heard for a while, actually. That man, his lessons, and his inflexibility left deep scars in his childhood's soul. In the end, they made him what he was now: a pirate that did only what he liked.

"Thank you." Izou nodded and followed her.

Sensei was resting in a six-tatami mat room in the warmest area of the theatre, even if the cracks were so deep that it was cold nevertheless. He had aged as poorly as his theatre; arms and legs so thin that he could barely stand, his face lined like an old oil painting. He looked smaller than Izou's memories of him.

As soon as Sensei saw Izou, he threw himself towards him. He hugged him a - warm gesture Sensei had never used. "Izou-kun! I miss you! Welcome back!"

Izou finally understood the real meaning of the Maiko's words. If Sensei's was sound of mind, he would never have greeted Izou so warmly. Sensei told Izou once, when one left Wano, it is forever. Nobody was going to accept them back. This was not the Sensei he had known, that man wouldn't have forgotten the betrayal of his best actor. But now, Sensei was just an old man that only remembered the happy moments of his best years.

"How big you are now! I'm so happy to see you."

"Thank you, Sensei." Izou went along with his delusion. He needed a place to stay for a while. He was ready to fight for it, but it was easier if he just pretended Sensei was right. "You look well," Izou lied. "Can you host me here in the theatre for some time?"

"Of course. Of course, my boy! Yuki-chan, hurry! Arrange a room for him!"

Yuki's lips curved in disappointment, then she nodded. "Yes, Sensei."

"I'll help." Izou didn't want to spend too much time with his old teacher. He was scared more by his decline than his supposed anger. It wasn't something he was prepared for. Every single part of Izou's life was crumbling to pieces.

"You don't have to do it, Izou-san."

"I'd like to."

"As you wish."

Yuki took a futon from one of the walk-in closets, then she lend him to a four-tatami room. It stank of humidity. "It's the best one, with least drafts," Yuki explained. She put the futon in the corner of the room and started to arrange it.

"It's perfect." Izou's attention was caught by a pile of paintings leaning against the wall. They were painted in typical Wano style - the one Izou tried so much to forget in his works - but there was also a touch of innovation, the colors were brighter, the lines more harsh.

"I'll take them away," Yuki commented as noticed his look. She stood up and put them under her arm one after another.

"Did you make them?"

She smirked. "As you can tell, I have a lot of free time."

Izou nodded seriously. "They're well made."

"Thank you."

Izou bent down to help her. He'd like to repay her for her work for him, but a big surprise waited him. The first painting Izou took was a very realistic portrait of a seventeen-years old Ace. Izou froze, watching the face with the big smile and the shining eyes. Ace told him about him having visited Wano, but Izou forgot completely about it. He had always forgotten everything about that damn island.

Yuki was looking at him, puzzled. Izou's expression was unreadable. "He's a boy that was here some time ago," she explained. It was very rare for foreign people to visit Wano, let aside being depicted in a painting. She did it to make something different. "He was very kind."

"Yeah, he was." Izou's voice was a whisper.

"Do you know him?"

"I met him once."

Yuki understood he didn't want to talk about it, so she just nodded. Gently, she took the painting from his hands and added it with the others she had under her arm. "Dinner will be ready at seven" she said briefly as she left the room.

Izou shut the door with too much force, and slumped on the floor. He had run away, trying to leave the pain behind, but the past still haunted him. It haunted him even in Wano, an island that closed his borders to everything.

Izou hated Wano. He hated the closed borders. He hated the old men incapable of looking to the future. He hated the strict rules; everything was ordered with a specific ritual and one had to ask permission for everything. He hated Sensei for how he had treated him as boy, how he forced him to be a kabuki actor. He hated Sensei for what he became.

_Then... Why did you come back?_

_Because I hate myself too._

***

Izou sat in the outside portico, back leading against a column. His look wandered in the distance, towards the once beautiful garden, now just an uncultivated area. He had spent a lot of time there, doing nothing. Why should he made any effort? He didn't manage to do anything, even when his father's life was on the line.

He lifted his head as he heard a sound that destroyed his thought's silence. Yuki was leaving the theatre. She wore the same old kimono and, under her arm, some of her paintings, wrapped with clothes to protect them. Ace's portrait was among them.

"Where are you going?" Izou asked, as she put her sandals on.

"To the market," she answered, not looking back. "I'm trying to sell some of my paintings."

"Why?"

Yuki looked at him. She considered the question stupid and her expression showed it. "Because, if you didn't notice, we're short of money and everything helps."

"Of course, I apologize," Izou muttered. "Do the sell well?" he asked, trying to look less like an idiot.

"Not really, but it is better than nothing."

"Do you really have to sell that one too?" Izou pointed out Ace's portrait. "I'd like to have it."

She turned her gaze from him to the painting. "Sure. Can you pay for it?"

"I don't have any money." Everything Izou had was lost back in Marineford - both belongings and people. He only had a couple of dress and some savings he had spent to reach Wano. "But I'll pay you."

Yuki laughed, cruel. Her mask fell down and she wasn't anymore the sweet and helpful Maiko. "How? Are you hoping for a Tanuki to come and ask you a favor, while you just sit down doing nothing?" she mocked him. "Sensei let you stay in the house, but it doesn't mean I'm okay with that. On the contrary, I don't like it. And I don't like you."

She just reached the end of her rope because of Izou's presence and now she needed to vent. "I don't know what happened to you, but it doesn't mean anything. Wano is dying and I'm pretty sure it's only a matter of time before someone will conquer us. People are so poor now, they don't have enough money to pay me as they should. I'm not going to be a Geisha, ever, but at least I try to do something. It's better that just giving up."

Izou wanted that portrait, but he didn't have any money. And it was pretty clear she wasn't going to change her mind. Because she was right; Izou had lied down in his grief, giving up. He was so focused on what he had lost, how he had failed, so he forgot to live.

Since he wasn't answering, Yuki turned around and headed towards the town.

***

Yuki still had a couple of paintings under her arm, when she came back in the evening. Since she was also paid for her last show, she earned enough money to pay someone to fix the walls of her rooms. Some luck, finally. Lost in her thought, she was startled by the sounds coming from the practice room. Nobody had used that room in years.

Carefully, she opened the sliding door and put her head inside to watch. Izou had cleaned the stage, had worn an old wormed costume and now he was playing, alone. Yuki was too young to remember how it was in the theatre once, but she still understood why it used to be so famous. Its actors made the atmosphere around mystic, magic.

Izou turned his head and noticed her, stopping in mid motion. "I found this costume in the wall-in wardrobe" he explained.

"Somehow we managed to keep them, despite all the debts." She said as she entered the room. "It was the _Chishingura_ , wasn't it?" The story of the forty-seven ronin.

Izou nodded. "I'm out of practice. And I'm more familiar with the female roles."

"You looked amazing," Yuki commented, sincerely. She smiled, tiny cracks appearing in her red lipstick. "I'm sorry about earlier. I... things are really bad here. I just needed to vent." She lifted the remaining paintings, separating the one of Ace from the stack. "This is for you. I don't think someone will buy it anyway."

Izou's gaze rested for long moments on Ace's portrait, on the smile and the eyes full of life, but then he shook his head. "No, thank you; at least, not until I'll be able to pay you."

Yuki felt bad. "No, really.What I said today..."

He lifted his hand. "You were right," he cut her off. "I’ve lost a lot, more than I could handle. But, in truth, staying here and doing nothing is even worse." Izou had been useless back there, but he couldn't continue to be that way. Pops wouldn't ever forgive him. Pops didn't save him for that. "We could try to repair the theatre. I can do the work myself, my brothers taught me enough" Izou stated, remembering the time he and Fossa worked together to arrange their newest comrades' rooms. "We just need building materials. And then put on some shows. If you want to perform with me, of course."

Yuki restrained her thrilled smile. "You know women can't play Kabuki, do you?"

"Screw the rules. I never liked them" Izou replied, smiling.

"Did you leave because of them?" Her walls began to fall, one after another. Wano was dying, she knew it, and she didn't want to die with it.

Izou nodded. "I won't be here forever. The sea is calling me already. But, until then, I'll do my best to be helpful." If the Whitebeard Pirates were still together, he would ask her to join them. She was everything he could have become if Pops hadn’t saved him. Now he could only try to help make her situation better.

"Sounds like a plan." Yuki smiled. She hated the strict rules too. "But you can't leave until you get the money to pay me for the painting. It'll take a while."

"Let's get to work then." Izou could really make the difference, as Pops had taught him. He could make the theatre famous again. He could turn it in something he could appreciate. So he could in turn appreciate even himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a graphic for day 3, that's why I jumped on day 4.  
> For this one, I use all the headcanon I have for Izou. Because Oda's drawing of Izou as child, I couldn't get off my head that Wano is his native island. And giving that Wano should be inspired by Old Japan (Edo epoch, specifically) I used it to make Izou's story and his motives to become a pirate. And I also put some headcanon about Kaido wanted to conquer Wano.  
> Let's hope Oda won't disappoint me on this XD


	4. Day 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a reason why Whitebeard decided to have Fishermen Island as one of his territories.

The ship was slowly sinking in the deep and dark water of the New World. The crew - well, what remained of the crew - was already being thrown overboard. The Whitebeard Pirates were now busy taking the spoils back to the Moby Dick before the enemy ship sunk. Blamenco was in charge of the operation; the enemy crew was not very well-known, but still their hold was full of treasure.

They still didn't know _how_ full.

"Commander!" One of his men called from the lower deck. "You need to see this!"

Blamenco, intrigued, moved to join him. They climbed down together into the deep of the ship, near the keel. Someone had built an incredibly small room there. It was hard to see inside and, for Blamenco, almost impossible to get inside with his body size.

He squinted his eyes trying to get used to the dark. Finally, he saw her: a mermaid was chained to the wood wall, her long scaled tail pulled up against her torso. She was pale, with messy hair and a purple bruise on one of her cheeks. She looked famished and dehydrated.

As Blamenco tried to come closer, she moved aside, shaking her tail to keep him away. "I want to free you" he said her, but it was useless. She wasn't listening, too scared for understand. Blamenco gave up and he left the small cell carefully. "Let's call Namur" he said quietly to his men.

Namur was patrolling in the ocean. His duty during the boarding was to save his crewmates if they fell in the water; in the meantime he could also destroy the rudder of the enemy ship to avoid their escape. This meant he was completely wet when he reached Blamenco at the bottom of the ship, black hair stuck to his scaled face.

"I got a job for you," Blamenco said, baffling. He pointed out the small room.

"Are we sure he won't scare her even more?" One of the man joked. "With that face of his..."

Blamenco couldn’t help but smile. Namur was one of the nicer men he had ever met, but his face was definitely scary. He looked like he was always angry. "She'll be fine as soon as she realizes he's a fishman. I hope so, at least. Now I need to report this to Pops."

When Namur came back on the Moby Dick, the enemy ship had disappeared as if it never existed in the first place. Most of the crew, including the Commanders and Whitebeard, were on the deck of the Moby Dick, listening to the report of the boarding. His arrival interrupted the discussion, as all eyes turned to him.

"Where's the mermaid?" Blamenco asked.

"She left," Namur answered. "She'll be safer in the sea than on a ship. She'll be home soon."

The entire crew grunted. Most of them had visited Fishman Island before reaching the New World, but mermaids were always charming creatures of interest for pirates. They were eager to meet one so close, and maybe ask her to join them.

"Is there something wrong, son?" Whitebeard asked, his eyes never leaving Namur.

"No. Just... she asked me a question that I couldn't answer."

"Which one?"

"She thought I was kidnapped too. I explained to her that I'm a member of the crew... I mean, a human crew..." His pointed eyes passed through his crewmates. He was the only fishman on board. Nobody cared and nobody noticed it— unless they needed his special talent. Namur never cared that Whitebeard was a human; he was Pops and nothing more. "She asked me why."

The mermaid's question was understandable, as many men used Fishmen as slaves. They considered them as nothing more than animals, wild beasts to be scared of. But, for the crew, Namur's inability to answer didn’t make sense. For him, being their crewmate wasn't so strange as it appeared from the outside. Nobody spoke. They just stared, as they waited for Namur to figure it out by himself.

"How's the situation on Fishman Island?" Whitebeard asked, breaking the silence.

"Not very good." Namur sighed. "Boss Jinbei's doing what he can, but despite his position as a Warlord, he can't protect the island from every pirate. And after Queen Otohime's death, they're even more scared of humans."

"Can't blame them, look what that scum did to that poor mermaid" Blamenco commented. He had seen the damage done, and had not liked what he saw, at all. "Don't worry. She just doesn't know about us."

"That's right," Speed Jiru agreed. "For a proper answer, she should have stayed here for a while. Then she'd have understood."

"But you'll still need to write an essay about it," Thatch added, joking. "So you'll know how to answer next time!"

Whitebeard took time to think. "Marco, how are our supplies?" he asked. Everybody looked at him, surprised. He had just changed subject without a second though. "Do we have enough to reach Fishman Island?"

Namur's eyes widened, as Marco just smiled slightly. "Not enough. But we're off course, so we'll reach other islands on the way where we can buy what we need."

"Excellent. Set our course there then. I’ve decided; we'll make Fishman Island one of our territories."

Marco didn't even blink. "Sure."

"Why?!" Namur's voice was too high, but he couldn't help it.

"Pirates will learn to leave mermaids alone, as they will have to deal with us if they don’t." Whitebeard smiled smirking. The crew answered his declaration with jubilant cries. They were ready for the new course.

"You don't have to do it just because of me." Namur muttered.

Whitebeard smiled, sweetly. "I can't see a better reason."

Namur looked around; none of his crewmates were uneasy at their Captain's decision. On the contrary, they looked as they were thinking the same thing. At least, they agreed with it. The island of one of their brothers was in danger, that was the only thing that mattered.

Finally, Namur understood why he couldn't answer the mermaid's question. The answer was so obvious it didn't come to his mind. Why was he a member of a human crew? Because they weren't just human, they were his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was a little disappointed that no one made any mention about the Whitebeard Pirates back in Fishman Island, expecially because I wondered about Namur and about the relationship between him, Jinbe and the Island. So I wrote down a little headcanon about it. I don't recall if Namur is the only fishmen in the crew, but still, he is in this story.


	5. Day 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace is starting to meet his new crewmates. And he’s starting to understand they really like him.

A week.

Seven short days since he joined the Whitebeards Pirates, and Ace already felt like it was home. It didn’t surprise him, since it was the reason he had accepted Whitebeard's proposal. Everyone in the crew was so friendly, they made him almost forgot that he had spent four months trying to kill their captain. They treated him as their little brother, and at the same time they respected his ability as a former captain and powerful rookie.

But, sometimes, Ace still felt unease. The ghost of his father still haunted him. He didn't like the idea of lying to his new family, but he couldn't bring himself to confess. He didn't want them to hate him, not now. Not after finally becoming part of the crew. He had other worries, too. He met most of the crew, befriended them, especially the commanders, yet not with everyone. In a crew with over 1600 people, it was almost impossible to talk with everyone in such a small amount of time.

So, every time he saw someone he hadn't chatted with yet, he started to have doubts. _Would he accept me? Or was he thinking I shouldn't have joined?_ Illogical fears, but he couldn't help it. A part of him still asked why he should be loved.

For that reason, he was a little worried when Al and Alb caught up with him at his table in the dining hall. Ace had already noticed them, because they were some of the few pirates onboard who were as young as himself, but he had never got the change to actually talk with them yet. He knew they were twins, despite having two very different appearances. Al was tall and slim, with a sharp face and curvy brown hair, while Alb was short and fat, round face and short black hair.

"Could you come with us?" Al asked.

"You finished your meal, didn't you?" Alb added.

Ace looked at the stack of plates in front of him. "Yeah..." he murmured. "What do you need from me?"

"It's a surprise."

"We can't tell you."

Teach, who sat next to him, nodded. He was one of the first people Ace met in the Second Division, so he trusted his judgment. He got up and followed the twins in the hallway. They seemed pretty excited in whatever the hell it was that they wanted to show him, but despite his questions their mouths remained shut. They led him to the bottom part of the ship and Ace felt his worries increase when he realized that their destination was the docks; where the pirates stored the "Little Moby", Whitebeards' smaller ships.

_Maybe they're going to kill me. There's water in there. If I fall I'll be done for. The perfect accidental murder. Well, I‘m not willing to die, so I'm going to fight._

"Ah." Al stopped. "We can't just walk in."

"Yeah, he can't see until we're there."

"May I blindfold you?" Al asked, and Alb reached for a piece of cloth.

"No!" Not so easy as that, definitely not so easy.

"Oh, come on."

"You're ruining the fun!"

The dock's big door opened and Fossa appeared. He was very big and the three boys seemed so little in comparison. Ace remembered that Al and Alb belonged to the Fifteenth Division. "What's the fuss?" Fossa asked.

"Ace doesn't want the blindfold," Al explained.

"How can we surprise him?"

Fossa laughed. "It's fine, that's not necessary."

They didn't seem very happy, but nodded. Ace sighed and relaxed. "Are you in on this, too, Fossa?" He was the only one to call the Commanders by their common name. He just did it since the beginning and nobody seemed to care.

"The three of us are. Come on, we'll show you." Fossa grinned, coyly. They followed him until the end of the dock, after the three Little Mobys that were docked. "Look."

Ace obeyed and leaned his head forward, peering past the last Little Moby. At the end of the dock there was a strange ship. It looked like a surfboard, but it has a big recess in the middle. It also had a strange budge at the back end, where a mast was also secured.

"Do you like it?" Al asked, exciting.

"Commander Fossa built it, but the idea was ours!" Alb added.

Ace didn't get exactly what it was, but he didn't want to offend them. "It's nice. How does it work?"

Fossa lighted his cigar. "With you fire, of course" he explained. "The bottom is fireproof and these two little geniuses designed an engine that can be fueled with your logia power. You just have to get on and let the fire go."

Ace switched his look from him to the vehicle. Did this mean what he thought it meant?

"We've been working on it for three months." Al looked proud.

"We can't wait to see you pilot it!" Alb added.

"Three months ago I wasn't a member of the crew..."

"Not yet." Fossa smiled.

Ace swallowed. He looked at the vehicle again and discovered that he wanted to try it—Badly. He also couldn't think of a way to thank the two carpenters enough for spending so much time one gift for him. "I don't know what to say..."

"What about 'I'm gonna try it right away'?" Fossa proposed. Al and Alb's eyes were shining. Ace's heart beat faster; he couldn't believe he was witness two people being happy just because he was appreciating their gift. Well, Luffy had done it before, but Luffy was his little brother.

"I'm gonna to try it right away." Ace smiled. With a jump he was onboard, while Al and Alb loosened the rope that held it secured to the dock. The ship rocked slightly, but otherwise it seemed very stable. Slowly, Ace let his flame growing from his feet until the bottom was completely on fire. A second after, the vehicle started to move, too rapid for Ace's expectation. He ended up colliding with the ship's wall. The vehicle overturned and Ace fell in the water with a loud splash.

_They were trying to kill me after all!_

He gasped as soon as Al managed to get him out of the water. "It's not very stable" he protested.

"It is, you need to learn how to pilot it" Fossa explained. "We will need a life jacket."

"But you like it, right?" Al demanded.

"It's gonna be better!" Alb assured. Their expression was worried, anxious. They were waiting for his approval. They worked so hard just to please him. Ace was moved.

"...Does it have a name?"

"What?" The twins spoke, for the first time, together. They wore the same perplex expression.

"A name. Every ship has one" Ace explained.

"Oh, we never thought about it."

"You can choose it. It's yours."

"But you built it. At least we can try to find one together" Ace suggested.

Fossa smiled. He headed back to the dock's door, leaving the three boys alone. They were getting along well, they definitely didn't need him as guardian. But he took some time to watch them from the distance. Despite Ace being actually friendly with everyone, he felt there was still some unease with him. Whitebeard and the other commanders noticed it too, but they also knew it was just a matter of time. Their crew was just amazing, and everyone was happy to have Ace as a comrade, even if Ace didn't get it. Yet.

And seeing how much effort Al and Alb made just to make Ace happy, and Ace actually being happy with that was the definite proof that everything would be alright. They were the best family in the world, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In fanfiction is pretty common to make Ace iteracting more woth the Commanders, because they are the only one with a little characterization (or at least a name!). But I think that, at least at the beginning, Ace spent most time with the other pirates, giving he wasn't yet a commander himself. Here I tried to write a little story about him and other pirates onboard; it is an headcanon of mine that Ace got the Striker from the Whitebeard Pirates.  
> I also have the headcanon that each division handles a different duty on board: Fossa and his one are carpenters. I don't know why, Fossa just reminders me of Water Seven XD


	6. Day 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whitebeard and Marco met.

The needed time to repair the ship, and since they had gained a large amount of treasure from the latest victims, it was decided this would be the time to get it done. They decided to keep a low profile in order to not draw the attention of the marines. They wanted to enjoy that money after all! So, they docked their ship in a hidden cove and walked to the nearby town. For West Blue it was one of the biggest, full of life and pretty places to eat. Full of places to get drunk and participate in various other activities. There was also the open-air market street; full of people enjoying the Sunday afternoon and the hot summer sun.

"Finally, a place that knows what fun is! I can't stand being hidden like a rat anymore."

"Wow, they have even a circus!"

"Brat..."

"What do you just say?"

"New World Circus... I've heard about it."

"Really? Is it famous?"

"It's said that they came from the Grand Line, so they got all the strange races one can find there. Like men with two elbows!"

"Yeah, sure. Bet it's a trick."

"Now I'm curious too. Who wants to see the show with me?"

"Why not? It could be lesson peek at what we're going to meet in the Grand Line."

"Do you wanna come, Ed?"

Edward Newgate shook his head. "No, thanks. I'll see everything with my own eyes when I travel the Grand Line myself."

"Strange as usual."

Edward chuckled low. "I'll see you back at the ship tonight." He left his crewmates behind, going to explore the shopping streets of the city. He already knew that both the captain and the others hadn't ever understood his way of thinking or what kind of pirate he was, but he wouldn't change himself. He was less interested in treasure for fun, and more in having a family. Strange as it sounded, it was his dream.

He gained a rich bounty from the last ship they had assaulted, but he intended to save it to buy his own ship, the first step toward realizing his dream. He wasn't going to waste it for meaningless entertainment at a circus, or an hour of sex. His only exception was for his stomach.

He followed an enticing smell and found a small pub on one of the smaller side roads. Edward decided this would be a good choice with the less touristic traffic and more quiet atmosphere. He was a very big man and it made him very recognizable, but, as expected, the pub was almost empty, so he would be safe, as he didn't mind the curious look of the few other guests.

He looked forward to eating calmly, without fear of marine interruption.

He was wrong.

Edward had just focused his attention on the soup served to him, when he was interrupted by the angry yell of a man from across the pub. The noisy man was sitting with a friend next to him, yet his anger was aimed at child with blonde hair in a strange haircut that half was shaped as a banana and half as the top of a pineapple.

"Stop stealing my food, brat!"

But the child seemed unfazed by the man's screams. He stood in front of the table and stretched his hand to take the food from the plates waiting there. He didn't avoid the angry man's eyes as he chewed. His face revealing no expression. Not even when the man pulled out a gun and aimed for him.

"Do you have money for that, brat?" The child didn't flinch. He just kept staring.

"I do." Edward spoke as he placed a small bag of coins on the table.

"Who the hell are you?" The man hesitated a little, shocked by Edward's body size. The child took his chance to run, but Edward was faster and grabbed him by the collar of the shirt.

"You got your money. Better order something else to eat" Edward commented briefly, as he turned back to his table guiding the child ahead of him. He forced the child to sit down across of him. "Come on. You can eat everything you want."

The child looked at him uncertain, but his hunger got the better of him. He snatched the food quickly, stuffing his mouth. Throughout this, he never change his expression and met Edward's gaze steadily. Edward took his time, studying the kid carefully. He wasn't hurt, his clothing was clean and elegant. He didn't look like a poor boy or an orphan; so why did he like to eat from others' plates?

"Would you like something else, sir?" The waiter didn't miss the golden coins Edward had given to the other man. Now he wanted some for himself too.

"No, thanks." Just a second to turn his head to the waiter, and the child disappeared. He had been waiting for the best chance to escape, taking all the food he could with him. "Damn" Edward commented, calm despite rushing outside of the pub, leaving some coins on the table behind him. He wanted to follow the child, but he was already too late. The crowd was too thick for him to see where the child had gone.

Edward didn't let himself give up. He considered the child’s actions; the crowd was useful to vanish without a trace in, but Edward imagined the child was trying to hide himself. He would search for an alley, as soon as he felt safe. Edward followed his pirate instincts, and looked for a road he would have taken if he were the child.

His instincts got help with the sound of a gunshot. It was barely audible in the chaos of the crowd, but Edward's ears were trained enough to recognize it. With a leap he rushed in to the small alley where he had heard the shot come from. It was a dark and thin street, with no shops, and closed windows; the perfect escape route, but also the better place for an ambush.

He walked quickly. "What's happening?" He asked, spotting figures ahead.

Near the end, the road widened. Ten men were gathered there. "None of your business" one of them replied. He turned his head to look at Edward annoyed.

Edward didn't glance back at the man who spoke, his attention focused on the two men who were holding the runaway child by his arms. They tried to drag him, but the child kept his feet dug in on the ground. "Let him go" Edward said, calmly.

The man, the same one that had spoken before, sighed. "We're his guardians. We can handle him. You don't have to worry about it."

Edward raised an eyebrow. Too late, he already did worry about the child. He tapped one foot on the ground. The land suddenly shook and the men lost their balance. The child managed to get free from their grip and hurried forward, running away from them and from Edward.

"You won't!" One of the man pulled out the gun and shot. Edward was ready, sure he was the target. So he ended up watching, horrified, as the bullets hit the child. They pierced the thin body that fell on the ground with a loud thud, rolling up against the wall.

"You bastards." The second shake was stronger. The ground split into two parts, a long crack that chased down the men down the alley. They tried to run, terrified, but there was no place in the world to escape from an earthquake. Edward just watched absently as they fell down in the abyss he had opened for them.

"That was you doing, sir?"

Edward turned around fast, his eyes wide in surprise. The child was looking at him in astonishment, a hand resting on the wall to help him stand up. His clothes were pierced where the bullets had hit him, but no blood could be seen. "You're alive..." Edward breathe out, stunned.

"I can't die." The child said with a shrug.

As Edward kept looking at him perplexed, the child grabbed a stone and scraped it across the back of his other hand. The slight scrape he had made healed over in a glimpse of blue flames. "I can't die" the child repeated. "People come to see me revive after they’ve killed me."

Edward recalled where he had seen the uniform the men were wearing. They were from the circus his crewmates were interested in. It wasn't strange that they also had Devil's Fruit users, as the child was. They were rare anywhere but in the Grand Line. It was the only way he could gain that ability, Edward assumed. That definitely explained everything; one couldn't be afraid of death or death treats when he couldn't die.

Edward collapsed on his knees. "Thank God!" He sighed, relieved, and smiled.

The child tilted his head. "Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Afraid?" Edward laughed. "I'm happy you didn't die! That's the only thing that scared me back there." He stood up and brushed his pants free of the dust, as he pretended to not notice the look on the child's face. It was the first expression of emotion he had seen on it; a mix of astonishment, happiness, and relief.

Edward wondered if they hadn’t kidnapped the boy from a lovely family, or did they made him eat the Devil's Fruit in the first place. He didn't bother to look back at the men he had thrown in the abyss before. Killing a child time after time just because he couldn't die was disgusting.

"Do you want me to bring you back to your home?" Edward asked. Maybe the child had a home to return to.

But the child shook his head. "Please, don't. Don't take me back."

So his home was the circus or something else just as bad.Edward wasn't going to let them take him again just to use him as a show. "Would you like to come with me?"

"...Can I?" Finally the child's face was showing a full range of human feeling. First was surprise, then worry, now hope.

"Just one condition" Edward said, smiling. "Stop risking your life because you can't die. You're going to give me a heart attack that way."

"...Okay." The child nodded slowly, and then, for the first time, smiled slightly.

Edward wondered, if it was really a good idea. He couldn't leave the child alone, but he couldn't say he was a good person to raise a child either. He was a pirate, and proud of it. "I'm a pirate" he declared then. "My dream is create my own crew and travel around the world, to be more free than anyone else." The child nodded in understanding. "It's gonna be dangerous. Are you sure?"

"I can't die." The child shrugged.

Edward glared at him - what did he just say about that?! - but then the child smiled again. "I want to be free too. Please. I don't want to go back."

"You won't." Edward offered his big hand towards him. "Let's go, son."

Edward could imagine the perplexed look his crewmates would give him, once they saw the child he was bringing along. He didn't care. With the child's hand tight in his, he considered that, maybe, it was finally time to leave. Time to start his own crew. It would probably be a very strange one, but it would be his. His family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funny thing, I dind't tell the child's name, not even once XD But it is an easy guess, right? XD  
> I usually prefer to not consider Marco Whitebeard's First Mate, but in some time it's easier to think in this way, so I wrote down this story. And it's an headcanon of mine that Marco ate the devils fruit very young and this caused him a lot of trouble.


	7. Day 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace and Marco are comrades in the volleyball team. They’ll learn how to get in the other’s shoes.

The luggage was on-board, fans and journalist already gone, the engine running. Edward Newgate, the coach, had already given all the instructions to his volleyteam, the "Whitebeards", about the match they were looking for.

They were ready.

Except they weren't.

"Where's Ace?"

Portgas D. Ace, literally _ace_ of the team, was a great player, but not as good as a person. He was always late. Funny enough, none of his teammates had noticed his absence before. But he hadn’t even been up for breakfast, and they knew Ace never missed a meal.

Marco swore internally. "I'm going to find him," he said. As Captain of the team, he was responsible for everything inside and outside the playing field. He was trying to keep everything under his control, but Ace was someone he couldn't control.

At the hotel they had adjoining rooms, because Marco knew he could be a handful. He wasn't wrong. Ace didn't answer at the door, so he managed to get into the room from his own. Ace was sleeping like a child, naked, arms and leg spread across the matress. And he was snoring. Marco couldn't believe it. They have a match in few hours!

He kicked Ace out from the bed, waking him up. Then he dragged him into the bathroom without a word, throwing him under the shower. Now Ace was definitely awake.

"It's cold!" he protested. "Are you out of your mind?"

"No, I was out there waiting for you in the bus" Marco answered, his tone calm, but cold.

"Ah... I overslept, sorry." Ace smiled. He didn't feel guilty at all.

"Get ready. Now."

Marco left him in the shower, and went back in the room to prepare his bag. At least the suit was hanging up in the closet, but everything else was scattered around the room. It was like a scavenger hunt, because it wasn't easy to find everything. One of Ace’s shoes were on the night table, for example.

As Marco finished to packing the bag, Ace was ready, more or less. He was still yawning, his hair wet and his cravat much too loose. Marco fixed him as he could, then took the bag and dragged him to the bus.

Ace followed him without protesting, but then he realized one important thing. "I haven't had breakfast yet!"

"I don't care" Marco replied, pushing him on the bus.

"I can't play hungry!"

"We'll eat something later."

Their arguing was interrupted by the standing ovation that welcomed Ace on board. Newgate, sitting in the first seat, chucked. Marco liked to be in control, but everyone else had fun with Ace's funny moments.

"I was sleeping" Ace explained, with a smile and a shrug. The others laughed even more. Then, Ace was asleep once more, the second after sitting down in his seat.

Marco shook his head, sitting next to him. "He isn't nervous at all" he commented. "Doesn't he remember who our opponents are today?"

"I'm pretty sure he does!" Atmos exclaimed. "Last time he swore revenge in five different languages."

"Everyone here remembers." added Izou, gloomily.

"You're too hard on him." Edward was looking especially at Marco, but speaking with the entire team. "He stayed up all night, studying our opponents with the videos of their previous matches. He's ready."

Marco felt a little guilty, he had been really harsh before. He looked at Ace. He was sleeping using the glass as pillow, mouth hanging half open. He was snoring again. His hair was a still mess, so Marco adjusted the strands hanging across his forehead.

Marco liked Ace, as a player and as a person. But he wished that Ace would be a little less easygoing and a little more serious. He wanted him to control himself. On the playing field Ace followed every instruction, but in normal life he just did what he liked and Marco couldn't manage to follow his rhythm. And that drove him mad.

But he needed to apologize, so he asked the driver to stop at the first market, then he purchased enough supplies to fill Ace's stomach - a number that should have been unacceptable for any normal person. As a matter of fact, their nutritionist left the team after Ace joined: he couldn't keep Ace's health under control with normal procedure.

When Ace woke up and saw the food, he totally forgot about the events of that morning. He thanked Marco, before throwing himself in the food, consuming it with inhumane speed. His suit would be a mess after his breakfast, but Marco let it go.

Ace didn't like control. More than that, he didn't enjoy be gripped with formal rules. Such as wearing the suit or speaking with journalist. He only liked playing volleyball. He only felt comfortable with his uniform, with the number 2 and the name Portgas on his back.

He was the last one to be on the bus, but the first one ready in the dressing room. Happy and excited as he was, the team followed him, feeling more relaxed than the previous days. The upcoming hard match seemed much less overwhelming.

Even Newgate had nothing to say to motivate them. So he just commented: "They play dirty. You already know this. As you already know there's nothing we can do to prevent it. Play as you can and everything will be fine."

Yeah, with words everything seemed easy. Ace tightened teeth and his hands clenched into fists. He remembered the last match. The played in their own gym, but ended up losing—badly. They hadn’t been able to win even one set. But Ace was more frustrated with his own feelings, about him being powerless.

Thatch had twisted his ankle, forcing him to leave the team. Their opponents had set him up to be hurt him intentionally. Ace himself had his own footing pressed many times, but the referee had never noticed how dirty the other players were. In the end, Ace had gotten so angry the referee had banned him from the match, leaving his teammates without their best opposite hitter.

His substitute, Fossa, had done his best, but Ace still felt responsible, and promised himself he wouldn't let it happen again. He was going to humiliate Teach and his team, leaving them on their knees. He was going to be calm and stay in the playing field until the end of the match.

As soon as he was in the gym, however, he felt the urge to swear. The audience was as bad as the team they were rooting for. He could put up with the mocking whistles and cat calls, tough, but... Marshall D. Teach, coach of The Blackbeards volleyball team, was one of their former teammates. He left them without a word, stealing all their training methods and plays. Teach had then managed to lure in a lot of big name sponsors, allowing him to create a powerful team of well known players.

Ace had not forgotten his betrayal.

Teach had planned out everything, he had never really been one of the team. Ace couldn't accept that such a disgraceful player got so much praise. Marco patted him on the butt.

"Stay calm" Marco whispered to him. "The referee is Sengoku. They're not going to be able to play dirty as much as last time."

Ace hoped so, but he knew he wouldn't be an easy match. The malicious audience only made everything worse. He was fine with a little teasing, but this crows was being just plain cruel. Real fans and real players behaved better.

At least, he could be happy that Marco won the coin toss, so they could be the first to serve. Luck was on their side. Well, actually Marco always managed to win the toss, but Ace was trying to be optimistic. He was already feeling stressed, when the other team was aiming to hit them with the ball since the warm-ups, when the unspoken policy expected the players to avoid others.

He glared at Lafitte after a ball whistled past his ear. Ace was in a place on the field almost impossible to hit by mistake, unless one wasn't try it on purpose. And Ace knew better that there was no mistake in Lafitte's spike, even if he was trying to look innocent. He definitely had aimed at him.

Ace sighed to calm himself. The warm-up didn't matter; only the match. The Blackbeards were not going to get away with their tricks this time. Jozu, Vista, Speed Jiru, Atmos and Curiel, who played in place of Thatch: they were all amazing players. Better than everyone. Ace has faith in his teammates.

His mood lifted as soon as their own fans reached the gym. There were 1600 of them and they tried with all their might to make more noise than the rest of the audience.

"How can your brother yell so loud?" Vista asked, chuckling. "He's the only one I can hear right now."

"No idea" Ace answered, a big smile on his face. He looked at the gallery. Luffy was there, screaming. He didn't give a fuck being at the same time Ace’s biggest fan and one of his opponents, as captain of the Strawhats Team. At least his teammates were trying to be... well, _normal_.

"Kick their asses, Ace!"

Another one that didn't give a fuck, despite being an important member in the volleyball federation, was Sabo, his other brother. He encouraged Luffy's yells, and he tried at the same time to scream even higher. Sabo definitely knew that the Blackbeards played dirty, and he didn't like it.

Ace smiled. He didn't care about the audience, he only wanted to be an amazing and famous player. The others could swear all they wanted; Ace had his brothers and his teammates to keep him up.

But the match didn't go as they were expected. The Whitebeards couldn't play as they were usually able to. The opposite team was always ready to block their spikes, knowing all the Whitebeards plays. Newgate watched the match, arms crossed in front of his chest. He couldn't do anything. He had already tried to modify the plays, knowing Teach had learned all the original ones, but one couldn't simply change everything in so little time. Edward could only rely on his team to overcome their weakness.

But the players on the court didn't have the same faith. Every time they lost a point, they became more and more frustrated. It didn't matter who attacked, they were always blocked. Plus, SanJuan Wolf's serves were so powerful they couldn'tpass them, no matter how much they tried. Speed Jiru was outstanding, but he caught the ball so badly that Marco couldn't reach it in time to set. Ace had tried to dig one, but only managed to tripped against the bench.

"Let it go" Marco said him. "If you injure yourself, you'll make things worse."

"At least I do something!" Ace snarled back, bearing his teeth.

He wasn't angry at Marco, but at himself. His spikes weren't as powerful as they should be. He wasn't upset because of the loss, but because he felt powerless. His teammates felt the same. They threw themselves onto the bench without a word.

"You played well" Haruta said. She passed them the water bottles. "They're less precise than the last time."

"They're still winning!" Ace growled, frustrated. Even if they played well, the only thing that matteredat the end was the result. He glared at the opposing team’s bench; Teach was smirking, satisfied.

"Haruta is right." Newgate said. He didn't lose his temper. "Find you rhythm and then force it on them."

But in the end, what Newgate wanted his player to do was what the Blackbeards managed. The second set was even worse than the first. None of Ace's spikes were able to hit the ground, they got always blocked or at least touched, so the Blackbeards could pass it and play again. Marco stopped tossing the ball at him, and that hurt Ace more. An opposite hitter that couldn't score was useless, so Marco took the right decision using other players. But Ace felt hurt nevertheless. Didn’t Marco have faith in him?

Ace still tried to help the team with blocking, until Burgess hit him in the face with a powerful spike. Ace's block was sloppy, but Burgess aimed intentionally at him. He didn't even want to score, he wanted to hurt Ace.

The others also knew what Burgess had done, especially his brothers. Luffy definitely didn't hide his disappointment. "Ref! He did it in purpose! It's not fair."

"Are you blind? I'm gonna have you banned as soon as I get at working tomorrow!" Even if Sabo should have been at least a little wary, giving his position. He couldn't just ban a referee because he felt to do so.

 

Sengoku ignored the protesting and assigned the point to Burgess, because the ball had hit the field. And despite Ace's nose, hurt and bleeding. Marco helped him get up, but Newgate called for a substitution, so he could rest a little.

Ace took the wet towel Haruta was offering him and put it on his face to stop the bleeding. He kicked hard at a water bottle that had the misfortune to be near him. He hated being substituted, even when it was to avoid soiling the field with blood.

Sengoku saw him kicking, angry, so he called for Marco. He wasn't going to tolerate such behavior. Ace understood what was going on and lifted his hand to apologize, then fell down in the bench, towel still pressed against his face.

"Burgess hit you in the face and it's all normal. You hit a bottle and it's a tragedy. What a fair match!" Namur protested in a low voice, avoiding the second referee Kuzan to hear him. The others were feeling the same, and Ace nodded, but it couldn't be helped. Newgate was the only one not bothered by the accident. He was watching the match in deep concentration, without focusing on the other team and their bench.

Ace's absence didn't change the result and the Whitebeards lost the second set. They didn't play bad, but they couldn't surpass their opponent.

"How are you?" Marco asked, his hand resting on Ace’s shoulder. As captain, he it was his duty to care for his teammates. He also felt guilty, because he was this was the second time the Blackbeards had hurt one of them and he wasn't able to prevent it. He couldn't control anything, not even his mates' health.

"I'm okay" Ace replied. "I can get back on the field." He wasn't going to let the others fight alone. He was the ace, he was the one that should be lending them to the victory. A very distant one, now that the Blackbeards needed only one set to win the game.

"We're changing formation," Newgate announced, as all the players were sitting on the bench, resting and drinking. He could see their shock. Marco and Ace were the most disappointed. Marco knew the team had played well and a change could affect their mood, while Ace feared to be left in the bench. Newgate lifted his hand to prevent any protests. "Ace will be the Setter and Marco the Opposite Hitter."

"What?!" The entire team was behind astonishment. Every player had his specialization, still Newgate was suggesting a total revolution of everything they were used to.

"I'm not sure it's a good idea" Marco said, exchanging looks with his teammates. "I haven't Ace’s strength with spikes." He wasn't a striker, after all. An Opposite Hitter needed the talent, as to be able to read the opposite field and the opposite team in a glimpse before hit the ball with all the strength he had. Marco could read the plays, not the spikes. Not as Ace, at least.

"And I haven't played as Setter for years," Ace added. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to make a lot of mistakes." He knew his weakness. A setter needed to be clear. A Setter is the one to control the game, the one in charge. The one that controlled everything. Ace felt more confident being the strongest striker on the team and rely on his teammates for other things. His duty was to spike, Marco's to set the ball for him.

Newgate nodded and waited for the commotion to end. "But you were a Setter, once."

"Yes, when I was fourteen," Ace replied, belligerent. He used to play in a little team in Goa, with his two brothers, before becoming a professional player. All three wanted to be the best striker , so Garp, their grandfather, used to change their role every match. All three could play as Setter back then… four years ago.

"That should be enough." Newgate spoke with Marco. "Our plays are predictable, yours especially. You want to be in charge, to control everything, but that's boring. I need a Setter with more guts right now, someone that can't be controlled by expectations. And I want you to try something new."

Marco nodded. He didn't like the decision; his face had already made that clear. But he respected too much Newgate as his coach, and he was going to support him, no matter how things felt wrong.

"Don't be scared of faults," Haruta said to Ace, before the third set starting. "We're already losing. We can give everything we have."

Trying to cheer him up by remembering they were losing wasn't the best way, but Ace understood her. She wanted to be sure he wouldn't feel responsible for the loss. So he thanked her and smiled. A smile that grow bigger hearing his brothers supporting him.

"The match ends when the last ball falls, don't forget that!" Luffy yelled.

Ace, ready to serve, remembered the times he had played with his brothers. They had talent, but they were kids. They enjoyed playing, so they never gave up and the tried everything, no matter how bad the situation had been. Luffy, especially, was a crazy player. Every match was a new adventure, for him.

Well, the Whitebeards were ready to try something new, to live a new adventure. Ace smiled, the ball bouncing in his hands as he was waiting for the whistle. He was going to enjoy the match, from now on. As his hand hit the ball, he knew that was his best serve. He felt a gust of happiness.

Lafitte managed to dig, but not very well. The ball came back in Ace's field, slowly. Jiru passed it easily, sending it in Ace's direction. He tossed it at Jozu, the attack hit the opposite field with his usual amazing strength. There were no blocks, because the Blackbeards were to focused on Ace. They didn't get he was the Setter.

"Ace... as Setter...?" Doc Q, Blackbeards' physiotherapist, was very uncertain. On the other end of the bench, Teach was trying to be calm. He glared to the opposite bench, where Newgate was chuckling.

Teach had noticed that the Whitebeards' formation was changed, since Ace was serving first,-a duty that usual was taken by the Setter. But the players were still the same, and Marco and Ace's positions one with another, as it was normal for the Setter with the Opposite Hitter. So Teach deduced it was just a different rotation. He knew Ace was a skilled player, but he had never seen him play as a Setter.

"Don't worry," Teach yelled at his team. "One can't become a Setter on the fly. Play as you've done until now and everything will be fine." He was sure Ace, despite his talent, couldn't endure in a different role for three set, the ones they needed to win. Being a Setter was too hard for someone not used to it. Either, he would make mistakes, or he would turn back on his original position. The Blackbeards still had the upper hand.

It was a desperate move and soon everyone would notice. From the audience only two people believed that Newgate's decision was a winning route: Luffy and Sabo.

"Back in Goa, Ace used to be my Setter," Sabo explained to Koala. "He's pretty good."

"Very, very good!" Luffy confirmed, smiling. The change of formations made the match a lot more fun to watch, in his opinion. He thought that he was the only player crazy enough to make such decisions, but it was nice to find he wasn't alone. "Ace didn't play with planned plays, but only by looking at his teammates. He's gonna kick some ass."

"But can he be clear enough?" Koala asked, sincerely interested. The Setter was the key player in the team, the one that all the others depended on. Referees watched Setters with a carefully look. Their errors weren't forgiven.

"Maybe not always," Sabo nodded. "But it's worth risking."

He and Luffy weren't wrong. Ace made some faults, but they were basically the only points the Blackbeards scored. Ace was so unpredictable that even his teammates barely managed to follow him. The opposite team couldn't block or dig anymore, because they weren't able to get where the Whitebeards were attacking. They began to grow nervous, leading them to commit more and more faults.

"You're next," Ace announced to Marco.

"I'm not sure it's a good idea." It was his time to serve and his float ball could already be a problem for their opponent. He also helped the team in defense and with blocking. He couldn't do more, he wasn't an Opposite Hitter.

"Nonsense." Ace was incredibly happy, Marco could tell. Ace wouldn't change his mind, so he nodded and tried to prepare himself for the spike.

Blackbeards' defense was sloppy, but they manage to attack nevertheless. Jiru saved the ball and Ace, as he had said, passed to Marco. He was in the back row position, a little far from the net, but when he jumped, he could see all of the opposite court widening in front of him. His eyes checked the weak point and his arm aimed right away for that.

The ball hit the ground between Burgess and Van Auger, none of them could move in time to defend. Marco landed and looked at his hand, the burning feeling of the ball still there, amazed.

"Told you," Ace commented happily. The team was cheering him.

Marco nodded and smiled slightly. He was still astonished at hitting. As with everyone else, there was a time in his career as a hitter, but Newgate had decided that his role would be Setter. After that, Marco had never tried any of the other positions, and Marco responded to Newgates decision, trying to be the best Setter out there.

Marco had been so focused on his role and his importance for the team, that he had forgot the real meaning of playing volleyball.

The fun.

Well, and the amazing sensation of jumping over the net right before spiking the ball. For a matter of seconds, the Hitter was the only one to face the opposite team. The adrenaline flowed and decisions were taken with instinct.

Newgate had been right, as always. Marco’s playing style had become boring and predictable, because he forgot what was the feeling of being a Hitter. How could he be the Setter, without understanding his Hitters' needs? He was grateful he got the chance to overcome this weakness of his. Now he truly understood them.

"Oh, can we try a Two-Setter formation?" Ace asked, when the set ended.

"It's a female formation."

"So what? It'll be fun!"

Ace also felt new feelings. He had been relying only on Marco, letting him lead and control everything. Just like that morning, Ace hadn't bothered to wake up in time, because he knew Marco could take care of everything. Ace hadn’t been this way before, and he should have known that, as a team, everyone had their duties. Marco had become much too rigid, because the team had all left the worries to him.

They towed a thanks to Teach, now. Once again, they became a real volleyball team. Players enjoying the games and matches, not just the outcome.

They were happy, not only because of the victory, managed to get payback for Thatch. True happiness came from the new experiences, from new styles of playing, instead following the old familiar routine. Marco smiled, as watched Ace running near the gallery for the fans' ovation. He would be still the responsible one, but less rigid. Now he knew that could rely on others and that it was fun to let himself go.

And Ace tested him right away: he got close to Marco and, hiding behind the back of his teammates, kissed him. A little kiss, just their lips brushing against each other for a second, but a kiss nevertheless. Ace didn’t make a big fuss about it, going back to party with the others.

Marco licked his lips, memorizing the feeling. Yeah, he was definitely worth losing control for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love volleyball and there's not enough sport!AU out there.


	8. Day 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace is gonna find something about his crewmate’s past

"Has anyone come in here in the last year?" Ace commented.

He was hit with a whirlwind of dust as he first opened the door, and now his attention was focused on the bookcases stuffed with binders. They were so full that the majority of the loose paper fell off the shelves and was spreading across floor, covering it entirely. The dust covered everything and made impossible to know what the papers were about.

"Probably nobody" Al answered.

"Nobody in decades" Alb added.

"Again, why the hell we should be the ones to organize everything?!" Ace liked it when everything was in order, after living for years with Luffy, but this... room (could he still call it that?) was too much even for him.

"You tried to kill Pops" Al reminded him.

"You're grounded, basically" Alb explained.

"Here I thought I was forgiven when I joined the crew..." Ace muttered, annoyed. "This is unfair. Nobody told me about this!" Then he looked back at the twins. "And what about you?"

"We made one of the Little Moby explode." Al seemed regretful. "It was a mistake, tough."

"Basically, we're grounded, too." Alb nodded.

Well, at least Ace wasn’t alone. It would be very boring otherwise. Well, it was still going to be boring, but he hoped that Al and Alb would manage to be a time saver. Slowly, he walked on the paper flooring and reached the end of the first bookcase. He took one of the binders and pulled it off the shelf. The binder was stuck. He tried again, with more strength. The shelf of the bookcase broke, and Ace fell backwards as all the binders fell down on top of him. He barely managed to restrain his power to not put everything on fire.

"Are you okay?" The twin were at his side, worried.

"Yeah, yeah... Pops's hits were stronger, after all" he said, making them laugh.

The binders opened because the fall, spreading across the floor and adding to the paper floor covering . At least, they weren't ruined because of the dust. It was then the three boys realized they were mostly bounty posters.

"Oh, God. Pops. Younger." Al was so excited he could barely speak, while Alb was so speechless he didn't add anything.

"Really?" Ace grabbed the bounty they pointed to looking at it closely. The photo was in black and white, but it showed a young teenager with long hair and a pointed nose, and a very big smile. The reward was 120 million berry. "Wow, he didn't have the moustache!"

"And he had long hair!"

"I've heard that he was blonde once!" Both Al and Alb had regained their voices.

"Wait, wait, wait..." Ace began to understand the true meaning of their working in the library. "Do you mean that in here are all the bounties and articles about Pops and the others?"

The twins looked at each other. "...It should be." Now organizing it had much more interesting. Most of the crew members were old. They were expert pirates that had been in the New World for years. They told their adventures, but the younger members of the crew were also sure that they were hiding something that they didn't want them to know. Now the three of them had in their hands the most powerful weapon in the world: knowledge.

Al and Alb understood what Ace's mind was thinking and immediately reached for the paper on the floor, searching for anything and everything that could be funny or interesting. Fuck their punishment, this was the best thing that happened to them!

"We could find out Marco's real age!" Which was one of the most interesting secrets on the ship; with his fruit, he could have any age.

Ace had just opened a binder that contained a lot of newspaper articles, looking baffled at one of the photos, when Thatch's face showed up on the doorway. "Ah, here you are!" He went in and grabbed Ace in by the arm. "Come on, I need you."

"What? Now?" Ace protested, disappointed. The binder fell, spreading the newspapers everywhere. He was about to find out something really important, he just knew that. His gaze finding the photo he was looking at again; a boy with long brown hair and a very angry and fierce expression.

"I thought you would have hated this duty" Thatch replied, uncertain. He stopped trying to drag him. "I thought I was going to save you."

"Well, you know..." Ace glared towards Al and Alb. "I don't want to leave them doing all the work for me."

"Oh, we don't mind" Al said, grinning.

"Plus, there will still be work here when you'll come back," Alb added.

"It's settled, then" Thatch exclaimed happily, before starting to drag Ace again into the hallway. _Traitors_ , Ace muttered to himself. They definitely wanted to keep all the discoveries to themselves.

"At least could you be so kind as to tell me what you need me for?" he asked, getting free from Thatch’s grip.

Thatch didn't seem fazed by his rudeness. He just grinned. "I need you to give me a ride. We're gonna hunt a Mantray."

"More than me, you need the striker, then." Ace stated, crossing his arms, waiting for more explanation.

"Yeah, I asked Marco to change the route, but he didn't want to. He said he wouldn't risk the Moby Dick to get stuck only for a meal." Thatch's face seems half disappointed, half angry.

"A meal?" Now Ace was definitely interested.

Thatch nodded. "The meat of Mantray is delicious. It's naturally spicy, so it doesn't need any other flavors. But it only lives in Coral Reefs, so it isn't easy to catch."

Ace was drooling already. "Sounds tasty" he commented.

"It is!" Thatch assured. Now that he got Ace on his side his thrill became bigger. "There's a Coral Reef really near to where the Moby Dick is now, so we can't miss our chance."

"Okay, you got me" Ace admitted, but he was smiling. "Let's go." They reached the dock und untied the Striker. Fossa was there, so he helped Thatch arrange himself and the bag he had with him on the Striker, before they left the Moby Dick. Thatch wasn't a navigator, but he had enough skills to guide Ace to their destination and also stop him at the right place.

"I don't see anything."

"Look closer."

Ace stretched his head and finally saw it. At first glance only ocean could be seen, because the Coral Reef was right under the surface. When the waves moved, the sun glinted off it, making the corals shine with a myriad of different colors: a rainbow in the ocean. Ace looked at it astonished, lips moving into a smile. The colorful light formed different pattern at every wave, like a dance.

"It's amazing" he whispered at the end.

Thatch agreed. "But, as with everything here, it's also lethal. Many ships got wrecked because they weren't able to spot the Coral Reefs, and most of the animals that live here are poisonous. Let's try to not fall into the sea."

Ace nodded. He lowered the power of his fire and let the strike slowly touch the border of Coral Reef, so it wouldn't end up sinking. Thatch jumped off the Striker and landed on a group of green coral, his weight broke them with a sinister crick.

"Is the Mantray also poisonous?" Ace asked.

"No, but it's pretty big. It'll try to make you fall in, so be careful." Thatch reached into the bag he brought with him and pulling out two spears and a little envelope that smelled really bad, like spoiled food. "It has two hearts, so we need to hit them almost at the same time, or it'll go back to the deep sea, and goodbye dinner. You're also forbidden to use your fire. I have to cook it in a particular way to keep the flavor, so don't toast it." He handed Ace one of the spears. "Can you use it?"

Ace smiled, amused. He took the spear and passed it through his hands, handling it like he used to with his old pipe. He laughed at Thatch's astounded expression. It was true that Ace mostly used his fire: it was easy and more destructive, but he had trained for years without it. "I can handle it" he answered at the end.

"Good." Thatch took the stinking envelope and threw it in water, between two long rows of coral, big enough for a sea monster to surface. "It’s a special bait I invented myself. Be ready, it'll be here soon."

Ace smiled, not only because of his excitement. Thatch had always been the funny one, the one that always smiled and made pranks, so it was nice to see this side of him. He looked focused on their mission, as serious as Marco during a boarding. He was ready and competent. He was more a commander than anything, in this moment.

But Ace didn't have much time to think about it, because the water started tremble. It was just a slight disturbance, at the beginning, and then the waves became bigger as the Mantray raised itself up and over them. It was a very long snake-form sea monster, with dark blue scales. It had a nice round face, its eyes almost invisible because of thick eyebrows. Small fins covered its entire body, moving around in totally un-synchronized pattern, like a very bad dance. On its back was a blowhole.

Thatch didn't waste time to admiring him. "I’ll get him on the front, you get him on the back," he ordered, as pushed himself to the right, the coral continuing to break under his weight. "One of its hearts is right behind its blowhole."

"Got it," Ace replied. He went in the opposite direction, taking advantage of the Mantray focusing his attention on Thatch; Its’ round head turning to follow him. Ace leaped, high enough to reach the monster's neck. But its skin was so smooth that he slipped and found himself falling. He reacted quickly, using his lower hand to shoot a burst of flame. He remembered what Thatch had said to him, and was careful so that the fire only hit the Coral Reef. The force of the flame was enough to keep him flying higher, while he was trying to land again on the Mantray.

Then the Mantray screamed, a long whistle that almost made him deaf, and rushed towards Thatch waiting in front of it. It didn't try to eat him, but just collapsed over him, completely destroying the coral reef he was standing on.

"Thatch!" Ace reacted immediately, gripping his spear and then throwing it. He hoped his strength was enough to pierce the monster's skin. The point hit the blowhole, sliding in deep. The Mantray screamed, high pitched too much like a human scream. It flailed without control before falling back again, floating on the surface of the sea.

Ace landed on it and noticed Thatch's spear that emerged from the monster's chest. Apparently it wasn't just Ace’s blow that made it thrash so much before dying.

"You did it! Wow, man, I was worried you didn't make it in time. That would’ve be a waste." Thatch's voice came from behind.

Ace turned around, ready to protest. He was the one worried, since a monster had just fallen on him! But then froze. Thatch was soaked, because he fell in the water to avoid the Mantray's blow. His brown hair, then, fell loose to lay smoothly on his face and his shoulders.

"...Who are you?"

Thatch pouted. "You're not funny!" he protested. He tried to re-arrange his hair, but the water had done its damage, and he was only able to pull it behind his head, away from his face. "I want my hair spray. Now."

"Ah!" And then Ace remembered. One of the bounties he had saw back in the library. The man on the photo looked familiar, but he hadn’t been able to recognize who it was. Not until he saw Thatch with his hair down. It really gave him a totally different look. He looked younger, but it he was definitely him. "You have a bounty! I didn't know that!"

"What was that? I'm a pirate, too, you know."

"A lot of the others didn't have a bounty. Al and Alb don't have one" Ace retorted.

"But I am a Commander!" Thatch's voice was like a childish whine.

"Of the cook division" Ace specified. "I never saw you fight so I thought... Hey, I didn't mean to offend you" he added, seeing Thatch's disappointment. "I'm just..."

"Shocked. I got it." But then Thatch smiled and he was back to his usual self. "Well, since you saw me like this, I suppose you really are a member of the family now. So I can tell you my story."

"I'm listening." There's a part of Ace that didn't want to. He didn't really care about his brothers' past, as long they didn't care about his– about his father. But another part really wanted to know them better. He was the newest one of them and, sometimes, he felt left out from their stories. He wanted to know.

"My mother was a prostitute" Thatch began. "She kept me, but I was a mistake."

Ace's jaw dropped. At least his mother loved him. Too much, he may add. "I'm so sorry-"

Thatch raised his hand to stop him. "She was a good mother, after all, and it's a story of the past. It doesn't sadden me anymore, so you don't have to feel pity for me." He waited for Ace to nod before going on. "I was always alone, so I learned how to cook out of necessity. I didn't like it back then, I just had to eat, you know? But then it came in handy. When my mother died, I knew how to made myself useful to others."

"How did you end up being a pirate?" With his cooking skills, Ace figured he’d be in some restaurant.

"Nobody would hire the son of a whore, except pirates." Thatch said it in a toneless voice. It was something that he simply accepted, but Ace gritted his teeth. He knew the feeling well, too well. "I spent years on that pirate ship. I made myself useful in every way, just to survive. That's how I got my first bounty," Thatch continued, not noticing, or pretending not to, Ace's feelings. "Until a storm sunk the ship; I survived because I was saved."

"By Pops?" Ace tried to hide his own bad feelings.

Thatch laughed. "No, by Marco. He was flying in the middle of the storm just for fun."

Ace smiled slightly. So Marco was a little bit careless when he was younger. That explained why the two of them were so close. "Marco was the first one on the crew, then?"

"This is my story, not Marco's" Thatch protested, amused.

"Sorry. Go ahead." Ace surrendered. He knew how much the crew had fun with Marco's secrets.

"Well, Marco brought me on the Moby Dick. I was ready to act as I always did, but Pops just said 'if you want to stay here, it's fine'. I didn't need to be useful. I had met people that didn't see me as just another body to do work."

Ace smiled and nodded. He knew that feeling too, but this time it was a pleasant one. Funny thing, he already knew that every man on the crew were loyal to Pops because he saw them as his children. But actually listening at the story of one of them was different.

"But, I still kept cooking, because I wanted to be useful. Not because of myself, not because I wanted to survive, but because I wanted to help them. And I found out, that cooking for someone I love makes me happy." Thatch's gaze didn't see Ace, but the memory of when he started to cook for the pleasure of seeing his brothers enjoying his meal. "I was the first official cook on the Moby Dick, so it was just natural for the newest ones to follow my instructions and then it was also natural for me to become a Commander." Thatch widened his arms and shrugged. "That's it."

"That's not _it_ " Ace replied, serious. "Being a Commander isn't that simple. I see it; even if you're the Commander of the cook division."

"What? You mocked me about it before!"

"I was speaking about fighting power" Ace replied, then sighed. "Yeah, you don't act like a Commander. You act irresponsible, carefree and immature."

"You're cruel!" Thatch cried.

"But, being a cook on the sea isn't easy. It's a lot more than preparing dishes. Our lives dependonyour cooking. And you being the Commander of the Fourth Division means that you're the best for this important duty."

"Especially when you're on board." Thatch stated, his tone teasing.

"Especially when I'm on board" Ace admitted, amused.

Thatch smiled. "You're so cute," he said, ruffling Ace’s hair even as he tried to escape. "But, if I'm good at what I do, it's because I care about you. You're my family." Ace smiled fondly, but he hid it. "Still, there's something you didn't know: the fact I'm the head cook doesn't mean I can't kick your ass if I want to."

Ace smirked. "Really?"

"Of course! Sea cooks are scary! Have you ever heard of Red-leg Zeff?"

"Yeah, I ran from his restaurant once!" One of the best dinners he had since he left Goa, but also one of the most dangerous.

"And you got away with it? I'm amazed at your talent!"

They looked at each other and laughed together. The stories about Ace and his raids in the kitchen, especially when he was still trying to kill Whitebeard, were already legendary.

"Well, I think it's time to head back," Ace said. "We didn't catch this monster for nothing, right?"

Thatch nodded. "I'm the Commander here, I should be the one deciding," he said, joking. Ace gestured widely, encouraging Thatch to take the lead. "Yeah, let's go home."

While they was deciding how prepare the monster for the transport, Ace couldn't help but to keep smiling, and not because now he had a really good story to tell Al and Alb to make them pay. Not only, at least. He just was happy to see more of Thatch than the usual. He was amazed to know that he also could fight as well as him, not that he was going to admit Thatch could be better than him. And everything he had said about him being a cook... He meant it. . Thatch was just a Commander in his own unique way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided I like the headcanon of Thatch being a cook, so he made up this story for him :)
> 
> And this is the last story for this week :) Thanka to the people who created it and ofr everyone tha read and enhiyed my shot :)


End file.
